How many Bowel Movements a day is normal for a runner? How many people here find it necessary to force a dump before they go out for a hard running workout?
How many Bowel Movements a day is normal for a runner? How many people here find it necessary to force a dump before they go out for a hard running workout?
I have read a very interesting essay on this issue recently (Running Life, Dec 09) that postulated that the optimum number of daily bowel movements (bm's) for the properly conditioned athlete is 4-6. This number, coupled with the proper dietary intake sessions, keeps the human body properly fueled AND properly rid of waste material. If you are currently lower than this number it is recommended that you up the intake of prunes, other natural diuretics and/or proper waste removal medication. This should provide a relativelsy strong performance boost to your running. It has also been shown to maintain a high level of caloric intake (>5000cal/day) to properly maintain this regimen.
4-6 is normal for me, when I'm consistently training. I'll often have 3-5 in the morning before 8. Last fall I had 5 between 5:30 and 7 in the morning before a major race.
My wife thinks it's gross.
It sounds like you are keeping very fit. I think you may want to try to increase the number in the weeks directly preceding goal races. It has been recommended that a frequency rate of 12-15 bm's/day may optimize race performance.
Good luck.
I know a guy who wears a diaper when he runs marathons so that he has a better chance of running a PR without having to stop at an outhouse
And i run with a gerbel up my ass,it helps stimulate me and makes me run faster and has been proven in some far away countrys.
The answer, surprisingly, is around .04. If you're having more than one bowel movement a month, then something is wrong. I have it from good authority that Ryan hall last pooped on Christmas Eve (you don't even want to know the last time his wife did the same). If you see someone destroy their PR I guarantee they haven't done any business in at least two months. If you're pooping more than that you should adjust you're training/diet so you're closer to the elite's schedule.
just another guy wrote:
I have read a very interesting essay on this issue recently (Running Life, Dec 09) that postulated that the optimum number of daily bowel movements (bm's) for the properly conditioned athlete is 4-6. This number, coupled with the proper dietary intake sessions, keeps the human body properly fueled AND properly rid of waste material. If you are currently lower than this number it is recommended that you up the intake of prunes, other natural diuretics and/or proper waste removal medication. This should provide a relativelsy strong performance boost to your running. It has also been shown to maintain a high level of caloric intake (>5000cal/day) to properly maintain this regimen.
That's crazy talk. No one eats 5k calories a day just so they can crap more.
just another guy wrote:
It sounds like you are keeping very fit. I think you may want to try to increase the number in the weeks directly preceding goal races. It has been recommended that a frequency rate of 12-15 bm's/day may optimize race performance.
Good luck.
Seriously? No really, are you serious? Seriously?
30-40
Serious advice on this issue from former top American marathoner Joe LeMay's endorsement of Metamucil:
Metamucil - I wish someone had told me about this stuff when I was 21. I've said this to just about everyone I know: before I started using it, I didn't even know I had a problem. Here's how it works. It's a fiber supplement. You take it before you go to bed, and the next morning about 10 minutes after you wake up, you have to take a number 2, and everything just slides out no problem. You're down and up in less than 1 minute. No need to worry that maybe you'll have to go during your run. Skid marks on your underwear are a thing of the past. I started taking it because my doctor said my cholesterol was a little high (192), and this stuff brought it down to 185. Metamucil has really changed my life. It comes in several different forms, pill, wafer, and the powder that I use. I mix the power, then chug it because it tends to clump up and get sandy of you don't drink it right away. I'm usually taking it twice a day now, morning and bed time. If I remember, I'll take a dose in the middle of the day. So there it is. If I ever go out on the job market again, this part of this page is coming down, because employers will read it and think I'm some kind of nut.
4-6 is normal for me, when I'm consistently training. I'll often have 3-5 in the morning before 8. Last fall I had 5 between 5:30 and 7 in the morning before a major race.
This is accurate. When I bump up the mileage for marathon training (120-130 mpw), this is usually accompanied by a change in metabolism (eating more frequently throughout the day, sometimes getting hungry in the middle of the night) and also more bowel movements (often on runs, find a discreet area or porta-john/building bathroom if I'm lucky). Usually the morning coffee/afternoon tea triggers it all to come out, but sometimes it hits in the middle of a run (maybe 2-3 times). I go so often it seems normal and don't think anything of it (although when I talk to others, people think I'm odd for having to go so much). If you put in the miles, that means more food in the gut, more jiggling, and more waste.
One before school, one before practice, one after dinner.
what does it mean when I go only 0 or once a day
3-5 before 8am - thats not normal bro.
What the hell... How is it even possible to go more than twice a day?... 3-5 in the morning?!?
I am writing at 12:30pm and have crapped three times so far today. I'll go run in an hour or so. Probably get in at least another two movements today.
you guys are all full of crap
I can't run much anymore, but I still drop about 8-10 per day. Used to go by the old "1 per mile" rule.
Isn't it time we put this topic behind us?